


Lathbora Viran

by popplio



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Decisions, F/F, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Lots of fucking angst, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Trespasser, Time Travel, Very Bad Decisions, kinda canon compliant kinda not, light vivienne bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-01-26 20:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12565064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popplio/pseuds/popplio
Summary: Lathbora Viran; "The path to a place of lost love," a longing for a thing one can never really know.aka the story in which Eola Lavellan uses time magic to return to the very beginning of her journey as the inquisitor hoping to save Solas from himself.





	1. Chapter 1

The coins in her pockets clinked together as she stumbled along the dirt road. It was winter now; the frozen ground was covered in a substantial amount of snow. The cold wind felt like knives cutting across her bare face and arms, but there was a flame burning in her heart and her mind that kept her warm despite it all. The knowledge that if she kept going, she would soon be reunited with a treasure worth more than all the gold in her pockets.

She stopped in front of a tavern, a single lantern burning outside it was the only indication that anyone might be inside. Sucking in a deep breath, she opened the door.

“Ah, Miss Lavellan,” A gravely voice greeted her the moment the door swung open. “Do shut that, it’s dreadful out there.”

The tavern was dark and obviously worn down. Those who knew the area would know that it had been shut down years ago when a rift had opened just up the road cutting off any hope of business to this place. Despite it’s supposed abandonment, a fire was roaring in the fireplace. A dwarven figure, hunched over the fire when the door was opened, turned around smiling at his guest with crooked teeth.

His guest was, of course, Eola Lavellan. Inquisitor of the now weakened Inquisition serving under Divine Victoria and the sole surviving member of the Lavellan Clan. The latter of course, was what she was mainly known for. The dwarf before her was far from the company she usually kept, in fact, she suspected her usual companions would have been dumbfounded she’d have chosen to willingly meet such an unsavory character.

Eola shut the door behind her, giving the dwarf a wary smile. “Saltok I presume?”

“The one and only,” the dwarf, Saltok, replied turning to give her a mock bow. “You don’t look to be dressed for a snowstorm. Did you walk all this way from Skyhold, Inquisitor?”

“What I do is not of your business,” Eola clipped back. “I have your gold; now do you have the locket?”

“Of course Miss Lavellan, I’m a thief and a crook, but I promised I’d have your locket and I’m certainly no liar,” with that out of the way, Saltok produced a blue locket that reflected the light of the fire filling the room in an odd, dim light.

Eola reached into the pocket of her tunic producing two pouches filled, presumably, to the brim with gold. “To receive the rest of your payment see Josephine Montilyet. She does not know what the payment is for and I hope you’ll keep it that way.”

“As long as I get my payment,” Saltok shrugged. “Come by the fire, you look ready to freeze to death and if you die I doubt I’ll be getting paid.”

Reluctantly, Eola moved closer to the dwarf. The warmth of the fire reviving her cold and numb skin felt admittedly good, but she wasn’t here to do anything but get the locket. Once she got the locket everything would be better. She’ll be able to fix everything.

The gleam of the locket seemed to grow brighter, tempting the elf to reach over and snatch it. She held the gold out impatiently. “Give it to me.”

Saltok, seemingly just eager to get his hands on the gold, gladly handed the locket to Eola moving quickly to count the gold out of the pouches chuckling quietly to himself.

Eola, meanwhile, stared down at the locket in her hand. She let out of a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “You have no idea what you’ve just given me.”

Saltok glared over at her. “Listen, if this shit is worth more than you’ve been letting on?”    

“It’s worth something to me, no monetary value to anyone else,” Eola corrected herself quickly. She let herself hover by the warmth of the fire for a second more before lifting herself up and back towards the door. “Safe travels.”

The dwarf grunted in reply, back to being distracted by counting his newfound wealth.

 

* * *

 

Returning home in the cold of the winter and the night was a surely difficult, but Eola had a new sort of spring in her step. She had gotten the locket safely, she had practiced enough to cast the spell properly when she returned to her room, nobody has noticed she had left –

“Eola!”

Eola spun around tucking the locket safely in her pocket. “Josie, you frightened me.”

“And you frightened me!” Josephine exclaimed. “There were tracks leading off into the snow, no word of where you were going! You didn’t take your horse, all your clothes were still here I thought…” She bit her lip.

Josephine never finished her sentence, but they both knew what she had planned on saying. _I thought we’d find your body. I thought you were going to kill yourself. I thought you had finally given up._

Guilt rose up in Eola’s throat threatening to suffocate her if she didn’t lessen it. “I’m sorry, I had business to attend to. I didn’t think anyone would notice if I stepped out.”

“I’m sorry, inquisitor,” Josephine sighed lowering her head. “We’ve been very worried about you for the past few months. Your behavior has been…erratic at best…since…”

“Since we found out about Fen’Harel,” Eola interrupted. “No need to dance around the subject Josie, I know what you mean.”

“Ah, yes, sorry,” Josephine’s cheeks were reddening. “I’m just relieved you’re safe. We sent people out to look for you, but your tracks were getting covered up in the snow.”

Eola mustered up the kindest smile she could manage. “Thank you, Josie. I’m alright, I promise. I’m just tired. I didn’t mean to make such a big fuss; next time I plan on going out I’ll warn someone in advance.”

Josephine let out a small breath. “Of course. I’ll…go let everyone know you’ve returned safely. I’m sorry for the overreaction.”

Eola shrugged. “It was perfectly reasonable given the context. You should get some rest as well, you look exhausted.”

Josephine hesitated, but nodded and rushed off likely to call off to search parties.

With that, Eola set off to her own quarters the weight of the locket heavy in her pocket. She did, to some degree, feel bad for any stress she had caused Josephine. Her advisor was one of the kindest people Eola had ever met as well as one of the only humans Eola hadn't had to work tirelessly to prove herself too.

_'She won't even know I worried her soon enough'_ Eola thought to herself trying to calm the guilt bubbling up in her chest. She wasn't necessarily sure what she felt guilty for anymore. Worrying Josephine or the selfish choice she was about to make. She paused. No, not selfish. The  _choice ~~~~_she was about to make. It was a choice, nothing more, nothing less. Nobody would even realize she had made it everything would be fine... _'I should contact Dorian before I do this. Act like my interest is purely theoretical. Tevinter is too far away for him to stop me anyways...'_

Her eyes rested on the crystal sat on her nightstand. The one way she could contact her closest friend while he served as a Magister in Tevinter. Almost robotically, she moved to pick it up; upon her touch, it immediately buzzed to life sending pleasant warm vibrations through her still numb hand.

"Dorian?" She said. "Dorian, are you around?"

Almost immediately the buzzing of the crystal got stronger and the voice of Dorian filled the room almost as if he was there. "Inquisitor! Isn't it a bit late to be missing the sound of my gorgeous voice?"

Eola laughed halfheartedly. "It's never too late for that, Dorian. I just...wanted to get your opinion on something."

The tone in her voice must have set something off in his mind, because Dorian's reply was said in an oddly serious tone. "Of course, anything you need."

"Do you remember at Redcliffe Castle? When Alexius sent us back in time?" Eola asked. "I've been studying the spell. Of course, it wouldn't work without an item already somewhat imbued with time magic." Like her newly obtained locket. "But my interest is...purely educational. I've been looking through the books we have available in Skyhold, but since the inquisition has been demoted I've found our research materials a bit lackluster. I assumed you must have some sort of insight I may have missed."

It took Dorian a moment to respond. "That's dangerous magic. There's no need to muddle around with it, inquisitor. You couldn't have seemed less interested in it back at Redcliffe."

"I was a bit busy soaking in the fact I had just witnessed unspeakable horrors," Eola retorted rolling her eyes though she knew he couldn't see her.

"A clever excuse, but you're terribly transparent," Dorian laughed for a moment before his voice when steely serious. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"There are very few things you wouldn't do, Dorian," Eola commented.

She could he the rustle of Dorian's clothes as he shrugged. "More the reason to avoid those few things dear Inquisitor. Now, would you like to tell me what exactly is bothering you -- and don't give me any of this nonsense about studying time magic. We both know you have little interest for studying without--" Dorian paused.  _"Without Solas around"_ hung heavy in the air though it never left his throat. "You've had little interest for the academics since we defeated Corypheus. Don't think I didn't notice."

Eola sighed. "This was a waste of time."

"I swear, I'll write Leliana, don't make me," Dorian sounded like he was trying very hard to be threatening, but it fell flat considering the fact that Eola wouldn't be around when the letter arrived.

"I am sorry," Eola muttered. "I underestimated you, thinking you wouldn't realize my true intents."

With that she threw the crystal against the wall shattering it into thousands of shining pieces. Dorian was no doubt rushing to contact someone in Skyhold, but his efforts would be in vain. Eola once again felt a pang of guilt at causing him needless distress and cursed herself for thinking contacting him would do anything but worry him.

Slowly, she reached into her pocket bringing out the locket. Even in the low light of her chambers, it shone brightly. This was it. The key to making everything right. The one object she needed to utilize time magic to return to the past to make no mistake this time to...to save Solas.

The locket shone brighter as she focused her magic into it. She thought of Josephine worrying terribly for her well being when she snuck out to purchase it, of Dorian who was liking working himself up into a panic thinking of the many things she could be planning, of Solas who was out there somewhere in the fade entirely unaware of the fact he was about to be ripped away from it and sent back three years into the past. She shook her head, focusing on her destination.

The Temple of Burning Ashes. The day of the conclave. The sound of Divine Justinia's cries for help, the sound of Eola's boots clicking against rock as she ran to her aid, the way her left hand now missing from her body burned with pain as the anchor surged into her. The smell of fire, of burning, as she blacked out...Demons. Running. Soldiers. Prisoner. Cassandra. Chains pinching her wrists as she thought of the lives that had been lost in the conclave, the chance for peace that had gone up in flames...

When the portal opened, Eola didn't hesitate to enter it.


	2. Chapter 2

 Eola doesn't think she's ever been happier to feel the familiar painful pulsing of the anchor on her left hand. The way it sends up green sparks is a familiar sight she greets with open arms. Even the uncomfortably tight chains brings a smile to her face. Cautiously, she closed the fist of her left hand, the anchor glew brighter shooting another bolt of pain up her arm. It was strange to have the limb back, to have the anchor back, but it was nice pain aside. She'd grown so used to the way the mark burned over the years she had it that it barely bothered her now. She tilted her head up slightly to look at the guards, swords drawn, their faces hidden by masks. She knew them, probably. The Iron Bull had convinced her to learn the names and faces of many of her loyal soldiers.

Eola was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of wood hitting stone. The door to her prison had swung open and standing before her was a very familiar figure. The elf doesn't think she's ever been happier to see Cassandra's hardened glare. That happiness only increased when Leliana strode in behind her, face fixed in an expression somewhere between neutral and a frown.

The soldiers sheathed their swords as the pair entered, Eola had to fight to keep the smile off her face. She could barely believe the spell had worked, of course, she had the utmost confidence in herself, but still. The fact she was even here...it was amazing.

Cassandra circled her for a moment like a cat ready to pounce on its prey. Leliana stepped forward, likely readying herself to intervene if Cassandra acted recklessly. It was unlike Cassandra, but Eola remembered the fragile states both women had been in after the death of the Divine and pushed the thoughts away. She felt Cassandra's breath tickle the back of her neck as the warrior leaned down to speak. "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now." She began circling back to Eola's front. "The conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead." She turned back to the elf, accusation painting every inch of her face. " _Except for you_."

Eola took in a breath trying her best to remember her emotions the day this originally happened. She did her best to feign disbelief. "No, that can't be. The Conclave...that's terrible. All those people...dead?"

Cassandra ignored her statement reaching down to grab her left hand, the hand with the anchor. "Explain  _this_."

The anchor exploded in green light as she brought it up and even more so as she forcefully dropped it sending it back down to Eola's leg. 

"I...can't..." Eola lied between clenched teeth. Though she was used to the pain and had certainly felt the anchor flare up much worse than this, the sudden pain of Cassandra grabbing her arm sent white sharp pains travelling up her arm and down her spine. 

"What do you mean you can't?" Cassandra said, her tone becoming impossibly more accusing. 

"I don't know what it is," Eola replied. "Nor do I know how it got there. I don't even know wh--"

Before Eola could continue the thought, Cassandra's hands were roughly grabbing her shoulders. "You're lying!"

Leliana moved forward quickly pushing Cassandra off the elf and further away towards the door, Eola felt relief rush through her. The spymaster was level headed as she always was. "We need her, Cassandra."

 "I don't understand what's going on," Eola muttered, though she knew full well.

Leliana glared down at the elf, she spoke calmly, but Eola knew her well enough to pick up on the pain buried deep within her voice. "Do you remember what happened? How this began?"

Eola paused. "I remember...running. There was something chasing me...and a woman? Something was chasing both of us."

"A woman?" Eola flinched at the hope in Leliana's voice, she still thought there was a chance Divine Justinia might be alive. Cassandra apparently picked up on it as well because she stiffened where she stood.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana," she sighed. "I will take her to the rift."

Leliana nodded, what little emotion she had revealed melting away as she turned and left the room. It was strange seeing them like this; Leliana trying to appear cold and emotionless while Cassandra was struggling to maintain her cool and collected façade. For whatever reason, Eola didn't think this would be as painful as it was. She supposed that was foolish, it would only get more painful as time went on. It would be worth it though.

While she was in thought, she had almost missed Cassandra walking over to undo the chains. She stayed silent, not entirely sure what to say. Part of her was worried she would accidentally come off too friendly and make the ever suspicious warrior distrust her even more than she already did. 

"Don't try anything," Cassandra warned as she helped Eola to her feet. "Come with me."

Eola followed obediently. She stared down at her left hand slowly clenching and unclenching her fist. The mark lit up with its usual green light, the pain with it so dull Eola barely noticed it. Still, she couldn't wait until she was able to close a rift. Using the anchor had always lessened the pain, just for a little while.

It was freezing outside, it was snowing, just like when Eola had left Skyhold. Seeing Haven was like a slap in the face, its destruction was certainly not something she was looking forward to enduring a second time.

"We call it 'The Breach,'" Cassandra explained. Eola almost jumped, staring up at the sky to see the all too familiar green light in the sky. Cassandra must've thought she was staring awestruck at the great light in the sky rather than the admittedly unremarkable little town. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only rift, but it is the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."

"I wasn't aware an explosion could do that," Eola commented.

"This would could," Cassandra responded. "Unless we act, the breach will grow until it swallows the world."

As if on queue, the breach flared up Eola's hand along with it. This time, the pain was sharp and hot like knives piercing through her skin. She let out a cry of pain despite herself falling to her knees. She felt her nails cutting into her skin with how tightly she had balled up her hand trying to make the pain of the mark go away.

"Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads. It's killing you," Cassandra explained.

"No shit," Eola replied through clenched teeth.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, but continued anyways. "It may be the key to stopping all this, but there isn't much time. At the rate the breach has been spreading, we'll be enveloped within the day."

Eola got to her feet. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

Cassandra gave him an approving half smile. "Then come with me."

With that, she grabbed Eola's arm firmly leading her towards the gates of Haven. Heads turned as they passed, but not for the reasons Eola had become accustomed to.

"That's her," she heard a loud whisper to her left. "The elf who survived the explosion at the chantry."

"Is she responsible?" another whisper, to the right. "Did she kill the divine?"

"They have already decided your guilt," Cassandra commented, still tugging Eola along.

"They've decided wrong," Eola replied. "I'm innocent."

Cassandra looked back, a strange expression on her face that almost made Eola feel like she believed her. "We'll see." 


End file.
